For Whom the Bell Tolls
by thinkaman22
Summary: It's easy, in the heat of the moment. But when the dust settles, and you look back on what you've done, the horror truly becomes clear. "I killed a man, Seth."


_No man is an island, entire of itself,_

 _Every man is a piece of the continent,_

 _A part of the main._

 _If a clod be washed away by the sea,_

 _Europe is the less._

 _As well as if a promontory were._

 _As if a manner of thy friend's_

 _Or of thine own were_

 _Any man's death diminishes me,_

 _Because I am involved in mankind,_

 _And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;_

 _It tolls for thee_

 _John Donne, 1623_

* * *

The Frelian capital was always a city of architectural beauty. Its buildings were made with well crafted and well stacked stone, polished to a shine contrasting its mostly gray color. Its streets were always bustling with the townsfolk, people bustling about simple lives, each with their own problems and joys. The old shop keep's daughter was getting married soon. The poor farmer always had some problem with his crops, though most were due to his own poor negligence and inability. The young knight who always patrols five times more than he needed to was expecting a child soon. All these people carried on with their lives, apathetic to the horrors that happened in Renias, for it 'twas not Frelia that was invaded, so what bother does the war have? To them, it was nothing but an excuse for Hayden to raise taxes- to support the war effort. Bah! What rubbish that was, they thought.

But far above them, in the royal castle, looking down upon the city, was a woman who had seen the horrors first hand- one who had even partaken in that slaughter. Princess Eirika gazed upon the bustling town, her eyes not really focused on anything. It was only a few hours ago that she proudly stated that she would go off and find her brother, that she would charge headfirst into Grado lines… But could she really? Could she really go forward, knowing what she must do? She reached her hand upward, trying to take hold of thin air, and gazed into the clouds, wondering when the light would shine from behind them. Judging by how dark they grew, it would be easy to think rain would be on its way. Echoing from within the castle, she could hear footsteps coming towards her. Loud, clinging footsteps- a man in armor. Without turning her gaze from the sky, she knew who had come for her.

"Seth," she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Seth looked upon her with a slight bit of pain, his eyelids sagging and jaw frowning- though only slightly. "Milday… "

Her gaze still did not leave the sky, "Seth… I will not take back my words. I will find Ephraim."

Seth let out a small sigh, barely audible, as unnoticeable as the pain on his face, "… I know."

"Then why have you come?"

Seth looked to the floor, unable to gaze at Eirika, "… I wanted to talk with you… If I may speak so bluntly, Princess, it seems you are still in a daze over your father's death, and-"

Seth started to ramble on about King Fado, and what a great man he was, but Eirika gave his blathering no mind. If only the cause of her torment were to be so simple- but alas, the cause of her agony was rooted far deeper. If her pain was only due to her father, than she only need look to her memories and find solace. But the face in her mind was not her fathers- nor was it Ephraim's or anyone she knew. The faces she saw were of men she could not put a name to- men she had only met once. The men that she had cut down to make to Frelia- the Grado soldiers.

As Seth was continuing to speak, the rain started to fall. It was a light drizzle at first, but it quickly grew to a powerful storm, 'raining cats and dogs' as the old saying goes. People in the street quickly ran for cover, trying to get out of the rain. The old shop keep closed his doors, and motioned travelers and street dwellers in for shelter. The poor farmer ran with a smile on his face, the rain meaning he did not have to manually water the crops. And the knight, ever faithful to his duty, continued his patrol undistracted. Eirika, however, did not move a muscle, letting the rain soak every inch of her. It was a strange feeling- not annoying or pleasurable. It was just… a feeling.

Seth noticed the change in weather, and his voice showed a sign of concern, "Eirika, please come inside, the rain-"

Eirika cut him off, her gaze still skyward, "I killed a man, Seth."

The sound of church bells could be heard in the distance, echoing louder than the raindrops. Perhaps it was for a funeral- it didn't really matter.

Seth was caught off guard by the suddenness of that statement, "What?"

The bells echoed a second time.

"I took my blade…" She started moving her hand, now a clenched first, as though she were swinging her blade, "And sliced it across his chest, until…" She unclenched her fist, "He died."

The bells echoed a third time.

Seth was speechless. As he was trained for knighthood since he was a mere child, he could not quite remember what it was like to kill for the first time. To him, he was helping his country. He was blind to the fact of what he was doing, only the fact that it was helping his nation.

The bells echoed a fourth time.

Eirika continued, her voice filled with agony and regret, "And now… I must go to Grado, and my brother… I wonder, how many more men must I kill to reach that goal? How many…"

The bells echoed a fifth time.

"How many of those men had families? Perhaps one of them had a wife and child… That's not too wild an assumption to make, right? He was probably only there for the money- to feed his family, you know? And I…"

The bells echoed a sixth time.

Seth was starting to grow anxious, her word stabbing him far worse than Valter's spear. "Eirika…" he muttered her name, worry etched in its tone.

The bell echoed a seventh and final time.

Eirika finally turned her gaze to him, though it was as if her eyes were lost in another world, "Listen to me, prattling on like this… We have so much to do, we don't have time to listen to me ramble… Let's go, Seth. We must depart soon.:"

She walked past him, her eyes not meeting his at all. Seth looked at her back as she left, unable to form the words to say anything to her. Standing there alone, he thought that, perhaps, it was just a phase. That maybe, she would learn that the men she fought went to the battlefield knowing they could die, and that they were prepared for that fact. As Seth walked away, he turned toward the town, looking over the impressive view, though another thought entered his mind.

 _I wonder who those funeral bells were for…_

But, it was a question that was unimportant, so Seth forgot about it shortly thereafter.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! As always, reviews are appreciated! Tell me what you think- anything I can improve upon is something I wanna know!

Until next time…

See ya, Space Cowboy!

"I have a dream, too, but it's about singing and dancing and making people happy. It's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. And I found a whole group of friends that have the same, and that makes us sort of like a family."

-Kermit the Frog


End file.
